MASVINGO – A top Zanu PF Politburo member and Cabinet Minister who hails from the Midlands Province has been fingered as the man behind the closure of Shabanie Mashaba Mines (SMM) Private Limited which was one of the country’s biggest employers and the world’s sixth largest producer of asbestos.
The disclosures are contained in a taped telephone conversation that is in the hands of The Mirror.
The conversation was a result of a story covered by The Mirror in which ZPF leader Joice Mujuru was quoted saying that the company was closed over girlfriends.
Efforts to get a comment from the fingered official were fruitless.
However, the tape said that the official who is frequently referred to as the god-father of the Midlands Province had personal interest in the lucrative conglomerate that produced 140 000 tonnes of asbestos per annum and is reported to be sitting on $1 billion worth of asbestos deposit that could be exploited for the betterment of the crumbling economy.
The conversation was between SMM major shareholder Mutumwa Mawere and (ZPF) party elder, Dzikamai Mavhaire.
The allegations are that the said godfather believed to be VP Mnangagwa had developed such interest in the conglomerate that he used individuals in Government to shut down the mine so that he could take it over.
Mujuru told her maiden ZPF rally at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo that people with a demonic heart led to the closure of SMM, a development that ultimately saw thousands of workers suffering after they lost jobs.
“If it were not for personal differences, these two mines (Shabanie and Mashaba) would not have been closed. These differences should have been resolved without affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of families who are now destitute,” Mujuru said in her address which her closest ally and Party elder, Dzikamai Mavhaire upheld.
SMM was closed in 2004 amid allegations that the organisation was in bad debt and that Mawere had externalised millions of dollars.
SMM is now a white elephant.-Masvingomirror